Quoth The Raven
by Polychromatism
Summary: I've never been one to speak out.I've never been the one to take the high road,I liked breathing,thanks.But that was the problem,I was breathing,not living.From now on I'll be the hero,I will do what's right,and nothing will stop me from being free.


**A/N Polychromatism here! I'm bringing you a story because I love you guys, in other words, anyone who reads my story(ies).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a mouse, named Tally, but she's not in this story.**

I'm not perfect- far from it actually, but I _do _know right from wrong. And this was wrong, so very twisted. This sick insanity clawing at everyone, fear. It was taking hold of people like the plague, and I wasn't touched by this fear, no, because my family was the cause of this fear.

I was sitting in my room, in a little alcove, an Edgar Allan Poe book clutched in my hands. (Which I wasn't supposed to be reading, seeing as the man was a muggle.) Staring at the raindrops chasing each other before uniting, I pressed my forehead against the cool glass.

_Hogwarts is tomorrow. I don't think I can go back, not like this. _I shivered. _Everyone knows who my parents are, I'll be hated, or feared, probably both. I really hope Harry comes back, not because I know him, or miss him even, but only for the simple fact that he is hope._

"Corvina, it's time for tea." My mother swept into my room in a swish of skirts and a sniff of disappointment. I sometimes thought she was even worse than my father, controlling everything within her grasp with an iron fist.

"Coming." I sighed, putting down the disguised book.

"Posture." She yanked my shoulders back.

"Yes Mother." I hissed, the animosity was tangible.

"Hello, Corvina." My father greeted me, only as a pleasantry. "We have some visitors, you do remember Pansy, don't you?"

"Of course, how lovely it is to see you again." I said coldly, not even bothering with a smile, shaking her hand.

"Likewise." She smirked.

We gathered around a small coffee table in the sitting room, perched on chairs like vultures, myself included.

"Livvy!" My father exclaimed, calling our elf. I was always tempted to free her, but for some reason she adored my mother, no matter how bad the treatment.

"I have brought you the tea Sir!" Squeaked the elf, with her too-big blue spheres begging for praise.

"Yes, I see that, put it on the table." My mother ordered with contempt.

"Yes Miss! Is there anything else I must do?" She asked, after completing the command.

"No." My father waved her off, I was burning inside, but too cowardly to say anything. "So, any raids on your house? We've had two in the last month!"

"They are horrible! As if they could find anything!" complained.

"We all know he'll protect us from any punishment." Mr. Parkinson took a sip of his tea.

"Of course! I can't wait until the next meeting." My father's eyes lit up. I was disgusted, how could they talk so openly of their eagerness to torture people?

"You might even be able to come Pansy." smiled. "Draco is already attending."

"Will Corvina?" Pansy smiled sweetly, as if torturing people with the girl she looked down upon would be oh-so-fun.

"It depends." My father skirted the question.

"On what?" Pansy's father pushed the question.

"School." I answered. "I can't fall behind, schemes can't be made with malnourished minds." My cowardice made a grand appearance.

"Ravenclaws. My dear, one night missed won't put you behind." chuckled darkly.

"So this won't be a longer meeting?" My monotone voice asked.

"No, a short fix before the plan sets into motion." The wicked man grinned.

"Who will be attending?" I avoided the real question.

"You, hopefully." Pansy knew my tricks. "_Will_ you?"

"If the circumstances allow." I kept a blank face, not really answering the question, but sounding dignified enough to be let off the hook.

"So, how are you and Draco?" My mother asked, leaving the men to a conversation of torture methods.

"Wonderful, although he is very stressed, with the plan and all..." The pug-girl trailed off.

I hadn't been told what 'the plan' was, probably because I couldn't be trusted.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." My mother sighed. "I remember how hard it was for Ciaran and I."

"It's difficult, but worth it." Pansy's mother encouraged. "So, Corvina, how are you and Flavian doing?"

Flavian was my arranged Greek husband-to-be, I despised him like the rest of the Death Eaters. "Fine, though it's hard to meet because of the distance and schedules."

"Good to hear. Do you two write?" She asked, prying for information.

No. Of course I was too afraid to say that. "Why wouldn't we? Although flooing across countries isn't an option, our owls go non-stop." Lie. I doubted I'd ever told a truth to this woman in my life.

"Lovely!" She beamed, apparently happy with my fabricated gossip. All the mothers just wanted us to grow up and have Death Eater babies.

"So, Corvina, read any good books lately?" Pansy sneered, she somehow thought intelligence was useless, along with books. Slytherins chose to be cunning above being intelligent.

"Of course, but I doubt you'd enjoy them." I sipped my tea, appearing indifferent.

At that moment a loud laugh rose from both the men.

"So he tells us we can't kill him, because he had a wife and kids, right after trying to convince us he lived alone!" finished his story.

"Excuse me," I got up. "There's someone at the door." The timing couldn't be more perfect. "Hello." I opened the door to find none other than Arthur Weasley.

"Good day. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a warrant." He showed me a piece of paper, with a few looping signatures upon it.

I debated on what to do next, should I tell him where the dark objects were? Or let my parents get away with hiding the instruments? The first would make my life even worse, but was the right thing to do, the latter was easier, but also the cowards way out.

"Miss? We have to come inside." He said, obviously not too fond of a Death Eater's kid.

"I'm thinking." I hissed.

He looked at me with a mixture of contempt, pity, and confusion.

"What if I could tell you where the dark objects were hidden?" I asked quickly, before my parents and guests got suspicious.

"You want something in return." He still glared at me.

"No. I don't, I'm _not_ like them." I closed my eyes.

"We don't have time for this!" One man growled.

"Nor I." I hissed, my grey eyes shooting open. "In the back of the fireplace, there is a brick, faintly imprinted with a snake, speak parseltongue, and it will open." I said quietly. "Come back after this 'search', with a parseltongue, make sure it's not too obvious. Do it, and you may succeed, I will not be mentioned during any trial, not even as an informant."

His eyes held new respect for me when I finished, though he still looked wary. "And what if this is a lie?"

"Like you have anything to lose. You've had no leads to any of these houses." I smirked.

"Alright."

"Follow my lead." I walked into the parlor with my nose up, along with my mental shield and readily fabricated memories to fool anyone in the vicinity. I bent low to my father's ear. "He won't leave, I argued with him that we had guests, but he had a warrant, I couldn't legally stop him."

"It's fine." He stood up. "You can search the house, there is nothing here."

"Well, it was nice to visit, we'll see you on the platform?" asked my mother.

"Of course, and I do hope everything works out between you and Draco." My mother smiled at Pansy.

"Thank you. Goodbye everyone!" Pansy called as the former guests retreated down the walkway of our mansion.

"Go on." My dad sneered at .

"C'mon boys." The balding man waved his hand as the Ministry workers spread about the house, searching.

_~ One Useless Ministry Endeavor Later~_

"Nothing. I'm sorry to waste your time." packed up his dark detectors.

"Goodbye!" Livvy squeaked, opening the door for the investigators.

"I can't believe how many searches their doing. It's not like we're obvious." My mother sighed, she did a good job of covering my father's tracks.

"We fit the criteria. Pure-blood family, rumored to be previously affiliated to Voldemort, and it's not like you guys show any muggle love." I rolled my eyes, eager to get back to my book.

"Do you think that wrong?" My mothers voice held a dangerous edge.

"Do you want me to speak my mind, or yours?" I asked, sweeping up the stairs, hoisting up my navy skirts.

"Insolent girl! You don't understand!" My mother wrenched me around by my wrist, and slapped me across the cheek.

"And you do?" I hissed, straightening.

She hit me again. "You talk about things bigger than yourself, and you must acknowledge what is for the greater good, you really think this is about you?"

"No, but it's not about you either." My nostrils flared, I was usually indifferent to everyone, but somehow my mother always got a rise out of me.

"I don't want to see you." She let go of me.

"Likewise." I spat, flying up the stairs. I would leave, and never come back.

_~Two Packed Trunks Later~_

I wish I could tell you my mother changed her mind, came upstairs with some chocolate and we relived all the non-existent good times we had. We made up and painted the mansion in bright hues all while our lives changed and we became heroes.

But life isn't a fucking fairytale. It's life.

So instead, it went a little like this. I packed all my belongings with no interruptions, charmed my bags to be light, then shrunk them down, (They were already charmed with undetectable extension charms.) grabbed my coat and left without a goodbye, no one even tried to stop me, not even the deluded elf.

And you know what. I finally realized that no one in the world cared about me, I didn't even feel sad.

I felt free.

**A/N Good? Bad? This chapter is a prologue of sorts, just a taste of the real story, setting it up. This story started out really different than what I planned originally. I would appreciate a review, even if it's just a word or two. Next chapter will hopefully be up by next week, but with writing five stories, no promises. Sorry, maybe reviews will change my mind :D**


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